Ohio State landed its second transfer portal commitment on Monday, garnering the services of former Baylor guard Dale Bonner.
Bonner, a 6-2, 170-pound guard from Shaker Heights, Ohio, provides the Buckeyes with depth in the backcourt and will likely factor in behind sophomores Bruce Thornton and Roddy Gayle Jr. After spending his first two seasons at Division-II Fairmont State, Bonner played his last two years at Baylor and aided the Bears to a 50-18 record across his time in Waco, Texas. Last season, Bonner produced 4.7 points per game, while shooting 44.1 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from beyond the arc, and dished out 2.7 assists per game across 19.2 minutes per contest.
Bonner emerged as Fairmont State’s leading scorer in each of his two seasons at the Division II program, producing 17.8 points per game as a freshman and upping his scoring output to 21.2 points per game as a sophomore. Across his two seasons as a Falcon, Bonner shot 45.8 percent from the field and 40.4 percent from three-point range, while dishing out 5.0 assists per game. Bonner was recruited to Fairmont State by current Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla — who was head coach of the Falcons from 2017-19.
Bonner’s standout efforts at Fairmont State led him to Baylor, where he settled into a much different role as a bench contributor for the Bears. Bonner appeared in 60 games with the Bears, seeing noted declines in his scoring efficiency by averaging 3.9 points per game on 38.7 percent shooting — including a 27.4 percent mark from beyond the arc — in 18.3 minutes played.
Now joining Ohio State, Bonner will be one of three Buckeyes with NCAA Tournament minutes under their belts — joining Zed Key and Tanner Holden — and will give Ohio State’s youthful backcourt of Thornton, Gayle and incoming freshman Taison Chatman a veteran presence to lean on throughout the season.
